


See You Again

by welcometothisday



Series: The Thain's Heirs AUs [4]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bilbo Remains In Erebor, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Everybody Lives, F/F, F/M, Female Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2020-08-11 03:22:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20146774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/welcometothisday/pseuds/welcometothisday
Summary: The Thain's Heirs are well, the heirs of the Thain, protector of the Shire.To be a Thain's Heir, one needs to be related to Tooks, to have abilities and wisdom that most hobbits wouldn't fathom, or maybe that the rest of the world wouldn't. They are wanderers, warriors, and all have stories to tell.Their cousin calls upon them to aid the kingdoms of Dale, Erebor, and Mirkwood, and as it turns out, the dead tell tales.





	1. Chapter 1

"Uncle Aldalgrim, what are dragons like?"

The hobbit shrugged, watching the smoke from his pipe wander up to the skies. "Some breathe fire, some ice, and some breathe 'death'. The last part sounds pretty lame though, doesn't it?"

The fauntlings all showed varying expressions of either boredom, or disappointment. "How's the last one 'lame'?"

"I'm pretty sure it means that the poor fellow needs some breath mints and a good mouthwash," he teased, winking at them. "Be glad those things aren't-"

Something inside of him froze, and he had to clutch his chest. There were voices, many likely calling out his name.

_ **"Scatha, stop playing with those shiny things, especially the dwarven stuff!"** _

_ **The few members of the group watched as the youngest, smallest of their own, giggled, leaping from ledge to ledge as he buried himself into gold, and gems, and jewelry. "Look, I'm pretty!"** _

_ **"How in Middle Earth you're a dragon, we'll never know," Ancalagon snorted, smoke drifting from his nose. "You want Chrysophylax to get mad at you? You'd make quite the appetizer, little one."** _

_ **The baby dragon didn't even measure to his guardians' feet in terms of size. Scatha was the tiniest of all of them, and possibly the sweetest. Many hoped he wouldn't be as obsessive, as corruptible as the rest of them. They hoped he would have a better life than the rest. He landed beside them, shaking some of the extra treasure off himself, gliding up to a far larger, and more scarred dragon than he.** _

_ **"Gostir, look!"** _

_ **The older dragon rolled his eyes, but let the little one lay a tiny crown on his scaled head. He let the youngest have a moment of glee."Very nice, hatchling. Shouldn't you be practicing to breathe fire-?"** _

_ **A shadow covered all of them, a man with robes and fiery crown narrowing his eyes at them. By his side were Glaurung, and Chrysophylax, the latter exhausted and visibly turning blind, his form showing more and more of his skeleton.** _

_ **These? These were the happier memories.** _

"Uncie! Your eyes!"

Aldalgrim wheezed, looking up to see fauntlings, including one looked scared, watching him. The youngest one there, he looked like...

_ **"Scatha! I swear, your obsession is going to kill you."** _

It did, it really did. He had invaded a mountain, and the dwarrow killed him.

The dwarrow killed him.

They killed him.

Tears feel from Aldalgrim's eyes, and he found himself hugging the toddler, memories of a life he shouldn't know flowing through his mind. He tried to keep it in, but everything felt hollow.

"Aldalgrim!"

It was Amaranth, and as soon as she saw him, she murmured, "You, you're a fairly late bloomer."

"W-What?"

She offered her hand to him, her gaze sorrowful. "What's your real name, Thain's Heir?"

He inhaled sharply, looking up at the sky.

_ **"Flying is fun!"** _

_ **"It's not supposed to be fun, Scatha, it's-"** _

_ **"Whhheeeee!"** _

_ **Okay, maybe it was a little fun.** _

He, wasn't really Aldalgrim Took, was he? 

"Who you are, depends on who you are, not who you used to be," Amaranth reassured, telling the young ones that he'd be okay as she guided him away. Had, had he spoken aloud? "You can still be Aldalgrim. You don't have to change if you don't want to."

"...Who, what am I?"

"You're a Thain's Heir," Amaranth explained, leading him to the Took Clan's homestead, where hobbits of all sizes and statures were running around, playing, practicing fighting skills...It didn't make any sense. "It means, you've lived more than one lifetime. It may mean you have multiple names, or you can be a blank slate."

Swallowing, trying to sort out everything swirling and wavering in his mind, he begged, "Who am I? Who are you?"

_ **"Gostir!"** _

_ **The black-scaled dragon, dark as the night without stars, flew to a scarred dragon who was hideous to most. To him though, Gostir had breathed life, not death. But now? He wasn't breathing at all, and flames poured from his corpse-** _

"You are Adalgrim Took, son of Hildigrim Took, grandson of the Thain of the Shire, and protector of Hobbiton. You're the father of Paladin, and you call your wife your 'beautiful jewel' because you think she's far more brilliant than any treasure, or the very sun itself. And I'm Amaranth Brandybuck. You and I are cousins, and you're not alone...I've been someone else too."

"I'm..." he began to whisper, "I'm a hobbit."

She nodded, placing her head against his. "So, you weren't last time?"

_ **Chrysophylax had breathed his last breath with relief, with joy at his demise. And the others? They didn't know how to feel. Pity, anger, vengeance? For once, they didn't hate his killer. They might've even thanked them for bringing peace to possibly the one who needed it most-** _

_ **Glaurung's screams had rung throughout all of Middle Earth. And his body had lain in a river, a sword in his heart, and two elven corpses at his feet and head, one in the river with him. One of the elves, a maiden, had been holding her head. Many of the drakes made pained sounds, understanding at least some of what she'd experienced.** _

_ **The mind games of Glaurung and Morgoth had always been cruel.** _

"Is this a game?" Aldalgrim whispered, tears streaming once more. Since when had he been able to cry? Since when was he allowed to? Since when had he been allowed to mourn? And for a life that wasn't his? "Is someone torturing me, again?"

Amaranth placed her hands on his shoulders, "Adalagrim, who were you?"

Finally, everything started to piece themselves together.

_ **He crashed into stone, earth, and flames, the piercing weapon stuck into his heart. The enemies of Morgoth surrounded him, all making victorious battle cries at the sight of the fallen. As for him? He dreamt of more pleasant things. He dreamt of his broken brood, the little ones they all raised, and the skies that granted them some semblance of freedom.** _

_ **As blades and other weapons began to tear off his scales, all he could think was...Free at last.** _

_ **If he did have a soul, it flew with those that had been left behind.** _

"...A monster," Adalagrim choked out, seeing the flames he'd cast, the blood spilled, the grief and ashes left behind. "I was a monster, and, I think I'm the last of my kind..."

The last dragon in Middle Earth perished, in Erebor. He could sense it. He felt the spear pierce his kin. It was over, finally over. He didn't know if he should be angry, grieve, or feel relief at how it was all gone. That, _they_ were all gone.

"Smaug the Golden, has been slain."


	2. Chapter 2

Adalgrim sat on the bench, waiting for the Thain to explain what was happening to him.

Gerontius had his hands clenched over his lap, searching the eyes of his grandson. "...My father was a reborn soul, one who had seen a great deal in his life, who had committed a good deal of acts of heroism, and of evil, much like other Thain's Heirs. The child of a dark elf and the daughter of Fingolfin, Maeglin had witnessed his mother killed by his father, who cast himself off the city walls of Gondolin. Not realizing he wasn't in love, but obsessed, he desired his cousin, Idril. His obsession drove him to his betrayal of the people of Gondolin, where he revealed where the city was to Morgoth on the promise for Gondolin...And Idril."

Although Adalgrim knew the tale, he needed to hear the original, to match the present.

"Maeglin tried to kill her child, Earendil, and fought her husband, Tuor. He perished, falling off the city walls, just as his father had."

Earendil, he knew the name. The half-elven was the father of Lord Elrond, and Lord Elros. He was also...The boy was a dragon slayer. He was the slayer of Ancalagon the Black.

"My father had a fear of heights," Gerontius explained. "He didn't know why until he saw the rangers with an elf, Glorfindel, the balrog slayer. They likely saw or met each other during that lifetime. His memories haunted him, his guilt consuming him, and, one of the first things he did, was apologize to Idril, though she was unable to hear him, for everything he'd done."

The younger hobbit couldn't bring himself to meet Gerontius' eyes.

"He, along with other Thain's Heirs, typically have unusual eyes, specifically amber," Gerontius uttered. "Even before they know their past."

Gerontius didn't have amber eyes, but Adalgrim knew others who did. "Why?"

The Thain huffed, walking to the other side of the Mathom House. There, sat a painting of a hobbit and a faerie. "We are children of Yavanna, given traits of all races. We hold stature and adaptability of the dwarrow, the lifespan of Man, and the Elves's affinity for nature. But through the Tooks lays a far more ancient bloodline, the First Creations of Eru, also known as the Ainur. They were deeply spiritual beings, ones that could fade into the air. The fifteen most powerful were the Valar, and many of the lessers were the Maiar."

"Gandalf," Adalgrim supplied, thoughtful. "Does, does that mean we're part wizard?"

"It means," the Thain answered steadily, "That some hobbits have more magic than others, and as the fae were connected to all, and spirits in nature, they held memories of those living and dying. Which meant that any of their descendants held some of that power. In this case, the memories of lives past, good and bad."

Thinking deeply, Adalgrim wanted to deny it, all of it, but, he had felt aspects of a lifetime he never should've known. He felt fire, he felt grief, and hatred, and pain, and fathomless sorrow. He, everyone, had _wished_ for death, just for the sake of feeling some peace. "Why, are we all Thain's Heirs? If you weren't one, then how are you Thain now?"

"I was supposed to be one, but none in my generation had the souls or experience from another life," Gerontius murmured. "But I was inspired by the stories I was told, even from my own father. Apparently, my adventurous spirit was worthy of Gandalf gifting me a magical pair of diamond studs that would help shield me from danger. By making my own experiences instead of pending on those of someone I didn't know, I was placed next in line."

He hesitated, "To be a Thain's Heir, means to understand all lives from different times, places, memories, and use those abilities to keep those they love safe. It means understanding the true worth of pain, of sacrifice, of kindness. From what I understand, it is your decisions, your regrets, and how you question yourself of your past that helps make the decisions of the present. My father, before he died, he built this place, the Mathom House, complete with defenses for any who may be trapped in our home, to protect us. He treasured my mother, he did his best to be there for us, and never took any day as less than precious time."

"What happened to him?"

Gerontius' jaw tightened. "He died not long after my mother died, his heart unable to bear so much grief and guilt. Frankly, I think their story is far more romantic than those in his past life."

"Like Bilbo's parents." Adalgrim took out his watch, softening at the sight of his wife and firstborn in her arms. "I didn't find love in my previous life, but here? I think I understand the idea of not being able to live without her."

"Love can always cause happiness," the Thain conceded. "Which is why we, hobbits and Thain's Heirs, have such simple lives, with so many small moments. It's the small things we remember, that we treasure. We learn to hold such things dear from both our successes, and our failures. We use those, to be better than we had been before. To do better."

Amaranth had claimed to be a Thain's Heir. What was her history? What was she supposed to be?

"Who was Amaranth?"

"That isn't my place, and she will come forward if or when she decides to," the Thain answered sternly. "However, I must ask you, Adalgrim, do you know who you were? It's not everyday that a Thain's Heir gains that shade of amber."

His eyes had tinted reddish-gold, more than a few shades darker from their normal coloring.

"You bear a similar eye color to my father's, "Gerontius admitted. "From what we know, it means that someone held great regret, or had committed grave crimes. You do not need to reveal who you-"

"A dragon," Adalgrim wheezed, burying his face in his hands. "I was a dragon."

* * *

Amaranth leaned against the wall, "Adalgrim, is, was, a dragon?"

Gerontious nodded, thanking his wife for serving tea. "Do you know if this has happened before?"

"Elves, humans, and even other hobbits have been reborn," Amaranth sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "But a bloody dragon? I love my cousin but, you know it'll cause rifts between the other Thain's Heirs, or worse if word gets out. Dragons, don't exactly have a good reputation."

"Considering that they've killed the other elves, humans, etc here? Yes, I do believe this will be quite difficult."

There was a knock at the door, and Isengrim entered. "What was the emergency?"

"There's another Thain's Heir."

He frowned, sitting down, pale and exhausted. "There's usually one to three. There's seven now. Do you think something is happening?"

"Well, Adalgrim says that the last dragon just died," Amaranth stated. "And considering Smaug lives in Erebor, I would bet a good deal of pastries that the dwarrow tried to reclaim their home. That, or the people of Dale, er, Laketown, finally decided to take up arms against the creature."

"Wait, we have a literal dragon in the family now. Shouldn't we, I don't know, be a little more polite as to who they were?"

Amaranth arched a brow, "Smaug killed half a mountain of people for shiny things. Regardless of race, I don't count that as being a truly sentient being if they choose to cause such harm without merit. It's nothing short of monstrous, and cruel. So, at least for Smaug, I'll give that animal the title it deserves."

Isengrim sipped his hot drink, nearly spilling it once he realized how hot it was. Flushed, he coughed harshly, trying to compose himself. "You sure you don't have a grudge against the Dragons of the North? It's been a long time, but-"

"The dragons of the North are ice drakes, not fire ones," she grumbled. "Although there is such a thing as frost burn. I've seen it."

"All hobbits during the Fell Winter went through it," Isengrim pointed out. "How ice can freeze to the point where it feels and looks like fire, I have no idea why."

Gerontius cleared his throat. "We're going off onto a tangent subject. In any case, we need to discuss-"

There was a slam of something at the window, and all three hobbits slowly turned. Cursing and clambering back up the glass was a disturbingly large raven, with a letter both in it's beak, and its talons. Amaranth choked out, "That's, he's, a resident of Erebor. In days past, they were allies with the dwarrow, as the sparrows with Dale."

"I know that," Isengrim hissed. "Question is, what's it, he, doing here?"

"One way to find out," Gerontius said, opening the window with a sincere smile. "Hello friend, how may we be of service?"

_**"FOOD.**_"

Isengrim flinched, nearly jumping back by the loudness and thunder in its voice. Such things, such people, were rarely seen in the Shire. Rare, as in not in hundreds of years, maybe thousands. Instead of being alarmed, Gerontius nodded, "We have chicken, pork, and fish. Or would you like sweetmeats or fruits."

_ **"MEAT."** _

Amaranth nodded, getting out some pork. The raven lay down the papers, and gobbled up a significant portion of the meal. "Isengrim, get some more for him. Oh, drink?"

"_**BEER."**_

"Er, we have ale?" Isengrim offered, trembling. The raven was more than half the size of a hobbit, and fully capable of making them into hor dourves. "Sorry?"

Why in Middle Earth did a bird want alcohol? "_**ALE."**_

Isengrim ran then, returning quickly with a meal and drink, all in shock as the raven soon gobbled that up too. Gerontius stroked his sideburns, "My, you're a hungry fellow. However, hobbits are the best hosts in all of Arda. Feel free to look in the pantry when you're done with that dish, and Isengrim will help you prepare it. I just request you not make a mess. Apparently some dwarrow did just that for a relative of ours."

The bird continued eating, nodding eagerly. _**"OM NOM NOM NOM!"**_

Isengrim was freaking out, Amaranth was nonchalantly picking up a letter, and Gerontius acted as though everything was an average day within the Shire. Scoping over the pages of text, she handed it over to Gerontius. "Apparently, our little Belle Baggins ran off with dwarves. She's requesting aid on Erebor's and Dale's behalf."

The Thain hummed, smiling as he read the other letter, "Not only that, but this Thorin Oakenshield fellow, who was the leader of the group that absconded with Belladonna's girl, is asking for the honor of formally courting her."

Amaranth, who foolishly had taken up a mug of her own, choked on her ale. "Excuse me?!"

"Not like it's unheard of," Isengrim commented, shrugging. "Look at the Stoors. There's a rumor they're part dwarf."

"Thorin Oakenshield is the King Under the Mountain, heir to Durin, and the defender of Moria," Amaranth hissed, the amber in her eyes burning nearly as much as Adalgrim's had earlier. And he was a dragon in another life, apparently. Growling, she added, "His bloodline is filled with greed and madness, and he wants to court Belle? Cousin Belle?"

Isengrim shared a look with the raven. _**"NOT A FAN OF DWARROW?"**_

"How can you tell?" Isengrim drolled, giving the bird some lamb. "She's just as bad as elves sometimes."

"I'm a hobbit," she replied, albeit somewhat more bitter, somber. "Not an elf."

Neither Gerontius nor Isengrim said anything, but the silence for them spoke louder than words. Gerontius faced the raven, "I apologize for my rudeness. What is your name?"

"_**ROAC, SON OF CARC."**_

Once someone got used to his voice, turns out he was a rather charming fellow. "Pleasure to meet you. I am Gerontius Took, the Thain and representative of Hobbiton."

_ **"WHAT'S A THAIN?"** _

"The Thain is effectively the guardian of the Shire, and many interpret the position to mean a leader or governing factor of Hobbiton," Amaranth clarified. "Basically, you talk to him, people tend to listen."

The raven cawed pleasantly, diving into his food again. Gerontius read over the letters once more. "We will send caravans to Erebor in two weeks. We will need to gather supplies and guards first. Hobbits aren't, used to violence or traveling." He wrote his reply then, glad when Roac gestured an agreement. "You can rest for the night. We'd be honored if you did, actually."

The raven hesitated, but flew over to a shelf with blankets, nuzzling into them and quickly winding down into a deep slumber.

"...Kind of cute when you aren't afraid he's going to peck your face off."


	4. Chapter 4

EDIT

11/22/2019 - Hey everybody, college is really stressful and helping out on this will make things a lot easier to write. A group and I have a research project for a few classes that involves a survey. We need a larger sample size. It's not an official survey, just experimental for really, really inexperienced college students. It takes on average (so far), 3 minutes pending how you answer:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7C3Z68K

Thank you.

PS I am planning on posting a real chapter over the weekend.

**Author's Note:**

> This is meant to be an AU of the other portions of the series, hopefully involving happier ending than the others.


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